Planked fish is a very old style of cooking food (Lewis and Clark ate fish cooked on planks by Indians on their 1804 tour), but is still a fashionable cooking method. Aromatic cedar wood is wonderful for imparting a wonderful flavor to food. Tonight we ate cedar-planked salmon (caught by me in Lake Michigan!) topped with my most favorite fish sauce, beurre blanc.

Cedar-Planked Salmon

• 1 side of salmon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub the plank with oil and heat. Place the fish on the plank, rub the fish with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve on the plank with the sauce.

for the beurre blanc sauce:

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pats
• herbs and seasonings as desired

Combine the wine, shallot, and peppercorns in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to two tablespoons. Turn the heat to low. Add the cream. Pat by pat, whisk the butter into the sauce. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and season with salt and chopped fresh herb (tarragon or parsley or chives or oregano or thyme).

To purchase cedar planks.